Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer criticized Union Pacific's plan to acquire Norfolk Southern in a $85 billion deal to create the first U.S. coast-to-coast freight rail operator. Schumer said Thursday the deal would push "us even further down the road of dangerous consolidation and monopoly

The merger would create the United States’ first coast-to-coast rail network, spanning 50,000 miles and 43 states.

The Surface Transportation Board said on Wednesday that Union Pacific and Norfolk Southern have formally filed a notice of intent to combine, triggering the U.S. regulatory review process for a proposed $85 billion merger between the two major railroads.